


lock away the memories

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Trans Female Character, Trans Female Pidge | Katie Holt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 02:57:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7600756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pidge has a nightmare. Shiro is there for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	lock away the memories

She jerked awake in a cold sweat. Before that moment, she had never really understood what people meant by that - a descriptor in a book, not something that applied to real people. But here she woke, coated in sweat and yet shivering up a storm.

The nightmare didn’t stick with her, not permanently. Snippets. Their bodies, dead, and fallen. Broken into pieces. The fish-like alien from before turning to her with dead eyes. _“If only you had been faster, Pidge, if only you had been faster…”_ The galra she had killed - and told no one about, told no one about how she had robbed someone of their life - Haxus appeared, laughing over the corpses. She tried to get at him, tried to kill him, tried to get him for her family, but Rover knocked him off the edge and he went down, down, down-

And she woke.

The girl shook her head, forcing herself to her trembling feet. Pidge had only slept in her bed perhaps once since she got here, instead folding herself into corners and working until she passed out. Part of it was habit - she needed to keep going, keep working, always push herself. The other part was… was…

~~avoiding things like this~~

Pidge staggered through the ship, finally slipping outside to just. Plop on the ground and stare up at the stars with teary eyes. They hadn’t left the Balmera yet, not until maybe tomorrow or the day after. They wanted to make sure everyone was situated, and Hunk wanted to spend more time with Shay. She didn’t blame him one iota, even if she wanted to keep moving.

In times like this, you needed to spend as much time with the people you loved as possible, and Pidge would begrudge no one that.

“Pidge?” Shiro’s soft voice came from behind her, but she jerked to her feet, stumbling - the only reason she didn’t fall was his gentle arms coming up to catch her, one hand on each shoulder. “Pidge, are you alright?”

She stared up at him for a long moment, eyes watering, before the trans girl burst into tears, burying her face in his chest and shoulders heaving. “Oh, Pidge, ssshh…”

His hand rested on her back, rubbing gently, his other arm wrapping around her. Slowly, slowlyyyy, he sunk to the ground, carefully pulling her down with him until he was seated and she was on his lap, still crying into his chest. How embarrassing. She was acting like a baby, like a fucking baby, sitting on Shiro’s LAP and bawling into him.

Hastily, Pidge pulled away, wiping at her eyes. “S-Sorry, Shiro, I didn’t…”

He patted her head, pulling her into him again. This time, she rested her cheek against his chest, eyes sliding shut. “It’s okay.” Shiro hmm-ed a moment, rubbing her back gently as she slowly, slowly relaxed into him. “Want to talk about it?”

She hesitated for a moment, but… if she told anyone… “Just. Just a stupid nightmare about Matt and Dad.” Pidge didn’t go into any more details, and Shiro didn’t push.

He simply nodded, continuing his ministrations. “I get those, sometimes,” the black paladin offered up after a minute.

Pidge pulled back to look up at him, surprised. “Really?”

Shiro nodded again, reaching up to comb her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Yes. We’ll find them, though. I promise.”

It took a moment, but a small smile blossomed across her face. “Thank you, Shiro,” she whispered, and he hugged her tight again.

They sat like that for a few moments more, clinging to each other. Pidge forgot, sometimes, that Shiro had lost them just the same as she had. It was different - they were her family, but Shiro had been with them for a year within a Galra prison. You bonded over that.

He must be hurting just as much.

After awhile, Shiro yawned. “Come on, Pidge. We should both get back to bed.” It was still dark out, after all, and though Pidge hadn’t check the time before coming out here… it didn’t show any signs of lightening.

“Yeah. Okay.”

They stood up, one by one, and walked back to where the paladin bedrooms were located, hands brushing. They didn’t say anything, even though Pidge desperately wanted to. She had to almost bite her tongue off to keep it down.

Shiro stopped at his door, turning to give her a weary smile. “Good night, Pidge. Sleep well, okay?”

Fuck it. “ShirocanIsleepwithyou?”

He stared at her, not quite understanding that word vomit. “Come again?”

Pidge turned crimson, but swallowed her hesitation and forged on. “Shiro, can… can I sleep with you?” He continued to stare, and she plowed on, feeling as though she had to offer up an explanation. “W-When I was younger, I would… I would do that with Matt, and I, uh…”

Shiro softened. “Yeah. Go get your pajamas on and you can come on in, alright?” Pidge hadn’t really absorbed the fact that Shiro was only in his boxers and a T-shirt, but she nodded all the same, giving him a smile.

“Thanks, Shiro.”

It took only a few moments to rummage around in her drawers and don a yellow nightgown that Allura had given to her. She didn’t go in right away, though, hovering at Shiro’s door with hesitation before finally working up the courage to push the button and open it.

Shiro was already in bed, under the covers, but he sat up as she approached, door sliding shut behind her. “Come on, Pidge.” He patted the empty expanse of the bed next to him, and she relaxed, scooting her butt on in and yanking up the covers.

He was warm, next to her. A tangible body heat that reminded her that this was real and all that bad stuff she dreamed about, that nightmare… it wasn’t real. She turned, curling into him as her fingers hooked in the fabric of his shirt. “…thanks, Shiro,” Pidge whispered. “Good night.”

After a moment of no reply, Pidge felt a pair of lips buss her forehead, and Shiro threw his arm over her, pulling her in. “Night, Pidge.”


End file.
